GEOGRAPHY
Jordan’s borders were defined by the victorious Allies
following WWI. Jordan is sandwiched between Israel,
Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt (whew!).
It is about the size of Indiana, 1/5th the
size of California, and 5 times as large as Hawaii.
Like much of the Middle East, November through March is
generally the best time to visit. Jordan’s population
is just over 4 million. Over half of the population
lives in Amman, Irbid, and Zarqu.
JORDAN'S
PAST
The region has a
history of permanent settlement extending back 11,000
years from Stone Age inhabitants to the Amorites, the
Canaanites, Philistines, Egyptians, Assyrians,
Babylonians, Hittites, Phoenicians, Greeks,
Byzantines, Nabataeans, Romans, Crusaders, Arabs,
Ottoman Turks, British, Germans, and the French.
As pointed out by Lonely Planet (1997), "Everyone
from Tutankhamen to Winston Churchill has walked across
this stage", not to mention Moses, Joshua. T.E.
Lawrence, Emir Faisel, Allenby, and so many others.
PRESENT DAY JORDAN
The Lonely Planet guide to Jordan and Syria contains the
following statement:
"Given its unflattering
media profile ‑ that of a region of barren desert and
fanatics bent on revolution ‑ it may come as a
surprise that not only is it safe to travel here, but
that the local Arab inhabitants are among the most
hospitable people in the world. The closest you'll come
to being hijacked here is to be dragged off to a cafe
for tea and chat for a while"
(p. 9).
In
fact that hospitality is one of the things that has made
the Middle East one of our favorite destinations in the
world. We already have tickets for a return trip to
Egypt next January.
Lonely Planet adds:
"Certainly, things
aren't the same as at home ‑ in many cases they are a
whole lot better. Where else can you leave your
belongings unattended for hours, safe in the knowledge
that they will be there on your return, and where you
can wander the streets any time of the day or night
without fear for your safety"
(page 9).
Lonely Planet’s advice here should probably be viewed
more symbolically than figuratively.
WHY
JORDAN
Here is Lowell Thomas’s description of Petra (Jordan’s
#1 attraction) in his book “With Lawrence in Arabia”
(1924/1961):
“All the travelers who
have visited Petra have marveled at the wonderful tints
of its sandstone cliffs. It is carved from rock
the colors of which [defy] description at certain hours
of the day. In the morning sunlight they are like great
rainbows of stone flashing out white, vermilion,
saffron, orange, pink and crimson. Time and the forces
of nature have played the magician, painting the
different strata in rare tints and hues. In places the
layers of rock dip and swerve like waves. At sunset
they glow with strange radiance before sinking into the
sombre darkness of the desert night. We wondered at
times whether we were really awake or whether we had not
been transported to a fairy-land on a magically colored
Persian carpet”
(pp. 132-133).
Our original plans included Syria as well as Jordan.
Jordan offered 4 main attractions: Amman, the Roman
ruins at Jerash, Petra (featured in a recent National
Geographic issue), and the scenic desert area known as
Wadi Rum. In Syria, we wished to see Damascus, Aleppo
with its exotic souqs (markets) and the vast and
reportedly spectacular ruins at Palmyra, with roots
stretching back 4 millennia. Syria was later crossed
off our itinerary for 3 reasons: (1) insufficient time
(2) the possibility of wintry weather (3) passport
complications given that our port of entry and exit was
Israel. Although US citizens are now free to visit
nearby Lebanon, we never considered it at all despite
its many alluring attractions. We like to be a little
adventurous at times, but we try not to be foolhardy.
OUR
TRIP
Days 1
and 2:
This was our 4th trip to the Middle East,
courtesy of TWA's frequent flyer program ‑‑ a total of
11 round trip tickets including 3 allocated to
Brett and Randy. Our TWA gateway was Israel. Israel,
of course, is fascinating anthropologically,
historically and culturally, but is not a gateway we
would have chosen if other viable options existed. It
is expensive, often distinctly unfriendly, and cold
in January and February (especially in
Jerusalem). Moreover, our arrival and departure were
scheduled on successive weekends when practically
everything is closed and transportation is limited and
more expensive. And of course there is the mandatory 3
hour before flight check‑in policy for international
departures, plus continuous security checks at
Ben-Gurion Airport while awaiting flights. While Judi
and Randy were elsewhere, a security agent approached
Larry and asked him (several times) if all the luggage
next to him was his ‑‑ and why so much. The scene was
repeated with Judi when Larry and Randy were elsewhere.
We, of course, understand the clear need for such
procedures, but in combination with the austere
conditions that prevail on the weekend along with the
palpably high level of tension always present in Israel,
it hardly makes for a "fun" stopover.
The idealism of earlier
years in Israel seems only a distant memory. There
appears to be no one with the eloquence of an Abba Eban,
the charm of a Golda Meir, or the credibility of a
Moshe Dyan. In Jerusalem, the chances of spotting a
male under 35 or 40 who is not speaking on a cell phone,
carrying an Uzi, or smoking a cigarette would seem to be
well under 50%. In any event, after a 6:30 am departure
from San Diego on a Friday, we eventually arrived at our
very basic $120 Jerusalem Inn hotel room around 5:00
pm on Saturday Israeli time, after a short delay to
fix a flat tire on the sherut en route from the
airport. We walked several blocks to the Ben Yehuda
area that evening and found a cafe where we could have
some soup and potato latkes. Upon presenting us with
the check, the waiter reminded us that "service" was not
included on the bill. The next morning, we checked out
of the hotel (which required us to pay $3.00 per bag to
store our luggage for a few hours) and spent a little
time in the Old City, mainly to give Randy a chance to
see it.
The Old City is completely walled and is divided into
Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian Quarters. The
whole area encompasses only 1 square km. Thus, many
different ideologies are squeezed tightly together,
perhaps like no place else on earth. Nowhere is this
more apparent than at the Damascus Gate. Heavily veiled
and robed Muslim women, Hassidic Jews with their long
black overcoats and side burn curls, Israelis in
business suits with their cell phones, young people in
school uniforms escorted by rosy‑cheeked teens toting
Uzis, and Western tourists, some in highly inappropriate
miniskirts and the like all mixed together with juice
vendors with their riotously colorful paraphernalia
and pushcart venders with the breads and sweets piled
high. Three of the most holy religious shrines in the
world lie within. Muslims have the beautiful Dome of
the Rock (and they will point out Muhammad's
footprints). Jews have the Western (Wailing) Wall (the
remains of the 1st Century Temple of Solomon). And
Christians have the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (with
the Stone of Unction and the site of Calvary). Narrow,
picturesque lanes twist through the area, lined with
shops that sell everything from religious artifacts to
jewelry, clothing, household goods, food, and, of
course, souvenirs. At the nearby Jaffa Gate is the
Jerusalem City Museum, said to be outstanding. And not
too far away is the Israel Museum, described by some as
the best museum built in the world since the end of
WWII.
Later that afternoon, we headed back to Ben-Gurion
Airport for our 45 minute El Al flight to Amman.
Jordan has officially been at peace with Israel since
1994 and we could have traveled to Amman on land via
the Allenby/King Hussein bridge, as the distance
is only around 80 miles, but it apparently can
require an entire day and one can confront
immigration procedures that make Ben-Gurion seem like a
lark. The city seemed quite dark (and rather lifeless)
on the fairly long taxi ride from the nearly deserted
Queen Alia Airport (where we paid our $50 each visa
fees!) to our hotel (The Caravan) where for the first
time on this trip we began to experience the warmth one
encounters throughout the Middle East. We selected a
great old fashioned 2 room suite with a balcony (for $42
including breakfast). Our proximity to the King
Abdullah Mosque with its powerful speakers for
broadcasting the early morning prayers made alarm clocks
completely unnecessary!
Day 3:
This morning, Randy,
quite uncharacteristically, was up and out very early
and returned with a glowing report about the
friendliness and low costs in the bustling neighborhood
of the hotel. He was right on both counts. After
breakfast, we walked 2 blocks to one of the city’s main
bus stations (Abdali) where we boarded a bus for the
hour ride to the well preserved ruins of Jerash. Jerash
is a classic Roman city with its forum, columns,
temples, baths, fountains, aqueducts, agora, hippodrome,
amphitheater and arches. The city is associated with
such significant Romans as Pompey, Trajan, Hadrian, and
Justinian. Upon our return to Amman, we had a nice
lunch of baba ghanouj, hummus, pita, and cokes in a
friendly little cafe near our hotel. The bill totaled 1
Jordanian dinar ($1.41 US). In the afternoon, we took a
taxi to the center of downtown, which sits directly
below a nearly intact Roman amphitheater. We spent
some time in the charming Museum of Folklore and
Costumes adjacent to the amphitheater and then explored
the main shopping district. We were quite surprised at
how lively this area was, with its gold shops, blaring
music, and assorted vendors. Pulsating might be a
better description! It is interesting to note that
there are no street addresses in Amman. Guidebooks
describe the location of hotels, cafes, and attractions
as "next to," “just beyond,” “around the corner from”
and so on.
Day 4:
Next came a challenge,
i.e., how to get from Amman south several hundred miles
to Petra (our prime objective on this trip). The easy
way would have been to take a direct JETT bus all the
way (about a 4 hr. trip). However, the JETT bus
traveled on the less interesting new Desert Highway and
we wanted to travel down the King's Highway, an ancient
mountainous camel route of biblical note that passes
through the historic towns of Madaba, Kerak, Shobak, and
Tafila, places that also played a critical role in T. E.
Lawrence's exploits. Public transportation is limited,
irregular, and unpredictable along much of this route.
But off we went, down the King's Highway. The first
part was easy, a bus from Abdali station to Madaba. Near
Madaba is Mount Nebo where Moses reportedly asked God
that he be buried. To the west is the Dead Sea, the
lowest point on earth. To the east is a string of ruins
of 7 desert castles of somewhat mysterious origins,
several dating back to Roman or Nabataean times. Madaba
is a chaotic place with some notable attractions,
including a 6th century mosaic map of Palestine. But we
stopped here only long enough to decide on our mode of
transport to the next town, choosing among a number of
shouting, gesticulating drivers representing all sorts
of conveyances. (It was fun, although we touched off at
least one heated dispute between competing drivers.) We
chose a rather large bus commanded by a friendly looking
fellow wearing the distinctive Palestinian checkered
headwrap (of the sort Yassir Arafat wears except it was
red and white). We were the sole passengers all the way
to Dhiban. The driver invited Randy to sit with him in
the front and chatted amiably in decent English the
whole way. South of Madaba, we crossed Wadi Mujib,
Jordan’s answer to the Grand Canyon.
At
Dhiban, there were no buses but we were able to hire a
taxi to Kerak. Kerak is a rather picturesque town with
an impressive medieval castle, built in 1142, that
overlooks the valley below. We had a nice lunch there
after depositing our bags at the hotel next to the
castle at the invitation of the clerk. When we
reclaimed our bags, she said there was no charge, but we
of course left a nice tip. We hired another
Palestinian-clad taxi driver for the final, nearly 3
hour leg to Wadi Musa, the village adjacent to Petra.
The driver stopped at one point, disappeared, and then
reappeared with some giant hot rounds of pita for us.
We encountered frequent Jordanian security checks on
this route. The cassettes played by the driver
alternated among mosque prayers, something that sounded
like an Arabic version of the Chipmunks, and a memorial
service for King Hussein, who had died about 2 weeks
prior to our arrival. The country was still in its
official 30 day mourning period and our taxi (and all
others) had a black ribbon tied to the aerial in
commemoration. All Jordanians seemed to hold King
Hussein in great esteem. Upon our arrival in Wadi Musa,
one of the hotel employees escorted us to our rooms with
a slight sense of urgency, opening our windows with a
flourish to reveal a stunning sunset view of the Petra
mountains. All in all, a fun day with a great finale to
our King's Highway adventure. At the hotel in the
evenings, showings of Lawrence of Arabia are alternated
with the Indiana Jones Last Crusader film, the latter
because of the scene at Petra.
Day 5:
What a day! We were up
early so that we could enter the grounds at Petra in
time to arrive at the Treasury by about 8:30, when the
sun was said to be at the best angle this time of year
for bringing out the colors in the sandstone. After
paying the admission fee (which was recently increased
from about $1.00 to $28.00!) and entering the grounds,
you walk though a very narrow canyon or siq for about
3/4 of a mile. This canyon is reminiscent of some that
can be found in Utah but, unlike those, it was not
created by a river but by an earthquake. A
geologist could recognize how the two striated sides
match. In 1963, a flash flood in the Siq killed a
party of 23 tourists. When the Romans occupied Petra,
they built one of their characteristic roads through
the Siq and you can still clearly see remnants of the
flat white stones that comprised the road. And yes, you
can also clearly see chariot ruts in those flat
stones. Walking through the Siq fills one with
anticipation of what lies beyond. And a short distance
before you reach its end, a sight opens before you like
none you have ever seen ‑‑ the Khazneh or
Treasury. It is a structure carved into the rose
colored sandstone cliff at the end of the Siq that
is so splendid that it makes almost everyone gasp
upon first sight. When we were leaving the area, Larry
stood at this point for a long time, watching visitors
as they caught their first glimpse of this unbelievable
sight. Most are rendered speechless for a short time.
The Treasury dates back to about 100 BC. Its purpose is
unknown. In fact, very little is known about the
Nabataean civilization responsible for the monuments at
Petra as they apparently left no written records of
their own. What is known is that they were
essentially nomadic traders who gained control of the
trade routes in the region, largely as a result of
their intimate knowledge of the desert, including the
location of water sources. Much of their wealth
apparently came from the heavy duties they were able to
impose on trade caravans along these routes.
After people are able
to tear themselves way from the Treasury, they have the
option of continuing along a much wider canyon (perhaps
1/3 to 1/2 mile wide) for a number of miles. The first
mile contains an impressive amphitheater built by the
Romans, a number of dramatic tombs carved into the
sandstone cliffs, numerous other structures, and
eventually a colossal structure named the "Monastery".
It seemed that every turn of the head produced a new and
stunning vista. Some of the cliffs were particularly
colorful with patterns of ochre, blue, violet, red, and
pink fused into the rock. We spent the better part of a
very memorable day at Petra. We explored all of the
tombs and Randy and Judi climbed up hundreds of
steps to the “high place” for a stupendous view of the
valley. Randy rode back to the entrance in grand style
on a camel.
Until a few years ago, it was possible to camp overnight
in a Bedouin tent. Now one stays in the adjacent tourist
village of Wadi Musa. It is not the culinary capital of
anywhere but our hotel (the Al-Anbat) was more than
adequate and their buffet dinner and breakfast
were, well, adequate. The second evening, as Larry was
wondering around the lobby, the proprietor of the gift
shop (who spent much of his time making sand paintings
in glass bottles--a popular handicraft in Jordan), and
his friend the van driver and security guard, invited
him in for a chat. We talked about Mecca, Islam, the
Haj, the afterlife, King Hussein, and other enlightening
topics. On other occasions, Judi had the opportunity to
ask Jodanians how Prince Abdullah, King Hussein's son
and designated successor was doing as the new ruler of
the country. Most were hopeful and patient but adopted
a wait and see attitude. One shopkeeper (Judi spent a
lot of time talking with shopkeepers) commented that the
new king unfortunately did not speak very good Arabic.
Shopkeepers, by the way, show almost none of the
assertiveness that is so pervasive in Egypt and in
Jerusalem (apparently becoming downright aggressive in
Morocco), making shopping far more pleasant in Jordan
than in other Middle Eastern countries. All in all,
Jordanians struck us as a very warm and seemingly
tolerant people who take pride in their friendly
relations with almost all countries.
Day 6:
On
this morning, we asked the hotel van driver to take us
into the village (about 2 miles distant) so that we
could catch the bus to our next destination, Aqaba,
“where the great fleets of King Solomon rode at anchor
three thousand years ago” (Thomas 1924/1961, p.
139). He somehow arranged a "private bus" for us ‑‑at
the same modest cost ‑‑ that picked us up right at our
front door. For part of this 2 hour ride, we were on
the Desert Highway. To our surprise, it was far from
bland. Spectacular would be closer to the truth. The
view approaching the Gulf of Aqaba (remember the
arguments about that crucial body of water in the United
Nations during the Six Day War?) was quite interesting,
with the Jordanian village of Aqaba stretching out to
our left and the Israeli port of Eilat spreading out (or
rather rising up) to our right. Aqaba was great fun.
We checked into our friendly, newly-built hotel where we
had two large breezy rooms (with our balcony shutters
thrown open) overlooking the Gulf, above a cheery street
and a park. Next door was a large, local bakery with
all kinds of interesting, unidentifiable cookies, cakes,
and breads. You would place your selections on a large
tin tray (as in Tijuana), give the attendant a coin, and
get all kinds of unidentifiable denominations of change
in return. Around the corner (oh no!) were enough
jewelry shops to keep even a modestly interested shopper
busy for hours (about 10 minutes for Larry however, who
wandered off to explore the rest of the town and find
some bottled water).
Day 7:
We had made
arrangements the previous evening for a tour out to Wadi
Rum, the highest priority item on our agenda after
Petra. Wadi Rum is a particularly scenic desert area
that played a role in some of T. E. Lawrence's
exploits. Lawrence writes about "Rumm" with awe. He
says at one point “Our little caravan grew
self‑conscious, and fell dead quiet, afraid and ashamed
to flaunt its smallness in the presence of the
stupendous hills" (from Seven Pillars of Wisdom,
1926). This, mind you, from a group of the most
outlandishly dressed, daring, death-defying, marauding
irregulars the desert had probably ever seen. Lowell
Thomas (1924/1961) described one member of this group of
brigands in this way:
“The courier was a
swarthy rascal who looked like Captain Kidd, with his
flashing eyes and fierce upturned mustachios. His red
headcloth was embroidered with huge yellow flowers, and
his robes flashed as many colors as Joseph’s coat. At
his belt were a pearl-handled revolver and two
wicked-looking daggers”
(p. 128).
Our guide and driver
(who spoke a very limited amount of English) picked us
up in front of our hotel in a vintage Toyota Landcruiser,
and off we went. The three of us sat in the back of
this jeep‑like vehicle on springy bench-like seats. A
few miles out of town, we abruptly turned off of the
highway right into the desert, pointing toward Wadi
Rum. It was our last sight of anything except
mountains, sand dunes, tents, and camels until after
dark that evening. Within perhaps an hour, we came
into sight of the first giant monoliths of Wadi Rum. (By
this point, it had become quite apparent that a sports
bra would be highly recommended gear for a woman on this
bumpy excursion.) The remainder of the day, we twisted
and turned about the striking desert where much of
Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, visiting several noted
sights, including Lawrence's "Seven Pillars" formation.
During these hours, we learned the true meaning of
4‑wheel drive! We saw occasional Bedouin encampments
with their distinctive long, low‑slung tents and camels
grazing nearby. Our driver grew up in these
encampments. At one point we were only 12 miles from
the Saudi Arabian border.
From time to time we
would see small groups of Americans or Germans or French
or visitors of other nationalities in vehicles (always
larger than our own). Our guide would invariably point
in their direction and say "tourists," as if naming
some exotic or curious species. We hoped we didn't look
quite as out of place as they did. We stopped at one
place where some natives hang out with camels for the
tourists to ride. And yes, neither Larry nor Randy
could resist, but Judi found it quite easy to resist.
Interestingly, there was a baby camel there. It looked
fuzzy and cuddly, but its demeanor was about as nasty as
that of adult camels. At several other points, we saw
camels that appeared to be roaming free. Certainly
they belonged to someone, but it was nonetheless neat
to see them untethered and free‑appearing. Larry
asked our guide how many camels he thought he could get
for Judi. He said many, many camels. In Luxor, Larry
was once offered a solid gold camel for Judi. We
stopped before dark at a small encampment. Viewing the
sunset over Wadi Rum is supposed to be a tour
highlight. After sunset, our “tour” was supposed to
feature a "Bedouin feast." To our relief, since we were
the only visitors, we had a basic dinner cooked outside
by our guide's pals. They disappeared while we dined in
an open tent under the stars (lots of stars!).
Disappearing was easy, requiring only a separation of a
few feet in the pitch-black darkness in the desert.
Before dinner, we were served tea which we drank in a
colorful, exotic‑looking tent large enough to
accommodate perhaps 30 or more people. But this was the
off-season and we were able to sip our tea in splendid
solitude. All in all, it was another memorable day.
Day 8:
This was our transition day back to Ben-Gurion Airport.
We crossed into Israel after the usual border crossing
formalities (including a search of our luggage). We
asked for and received detachable passport pages when
entering and exiting Israel as we hope to travel to
Syria sometime. That really won't do us any good
however as we now have exit stamps in our passport at
Aqaba and there is only one port of entry for those
exiting there, and Syrian immigration agents are said to
be quick to note that point. So to enter Syria we will
either need to obtain new passports or wait for a peace
treaty to be signed. Likely as not, our current
passport will expire (in 2007) before the latter
occurs.
Eilat
was closed down for the Sabbath but appeared to have
little of interest other than the beaches that draw most
visitors here. We were here only to await our bus. We
had considered
flying back to Ben-Gurion but thought it would be
interesting to see some of the Negev desert. And it
was. En route, we passed through Be'er Sheva, a
settlement that dates back to the 12th
century BC and encompasses the site claimed to be
Abraham's Well. According to Frommer's Israel, 1998,
only a few years ago, Be’er Sheva was known as the
"Dodge City" of Israel. It is known these days for its
Thursday Bedouin Market. Let's Go (1998) says that
merchants here "may compliment your beautiful
eyes while charging six times the going rate for
olive wood camels".
We had a 4 hour ride to the bus terminal in Tel Aviv,
then a bus to the airport for our flight home. Our
departure was scheduled for 1:00 am but there was a
mechanical problem and at 2:00 am the pilot started
talking about finding hotel rooms for everyone. But
right after that, the source of the problem was
discovered and fixed (a circuit breaker that controlled
one of the plane's 2 main computers had inadvertently
been tripped by a new flight attendant while stowing
his bag) ‑‑ and off we went.
ALL
IN ALL
This was one of our
more memorable trips. Petra, in particular, ranks right
up there with the best of the archeological sites we
have visited: Tikal (the stunning Mayan ruins in the
jungles of northern Guatemala), Machu Picchu (the
mountain-top Inca ruins in Peru), Abu Simbel (the giant
temple built by Pharaoh Ramses II in extreme southern
Egypt), the Great Pyramids at Giza, and the Valley of
the Kings at Luxor.
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